The bombing is the latest in a series of assassinations of high-ranking Russian military and political figures carried out by Ukrainian forces and marks the highest-ranking Russian military figure to have been assassinated.
“clandestine” is an important category to understand what is considered treacherous. The geneva convention does not refer exclusively to inviting confidence of protection. It is just an explicit specification, like the examples given under a to d are examples, to have them already covered. That does not mean that they are exclusive.
For the fighting on the front line every soldier knows he is at risk. Also Private Ivan is not targeted as Private Ivan. If instead there was Private Alexej in his place, Alexej would be dead and Ivan life another day. The same applies when command centers are attacked. They are attacked as the command structure. And if General Mikhail is visiting that day and the attack is done specifically on that day because he is there it is legitimate as he knowingly went to a legitimate target. Same i would argue for the command center in Moscow, e.g. the distance to the front is not relevant.
But being blown up by a booby trapped civilian device in a civilian area seems quite treacherous. In particular as booby trapping civilian devices is also prohibited.
The geneva convention does not refer exclusively to inviting confidence of protection.
It does not refer to anything but that. If you think it does, quote it. Your personal feelings on whether or not it has perfidious vibes aren’t really enough here.
But being blown up by a booby trapped civilian device in a civilian area seems quite treacherous.
Russia thinks that the bomb was monitored and manually detonated, which would make it not a booby trap. As such it’s now just “combatant kills enemy combatant with a grenade from a hidden position, no civilian casualties”. The Ukrainians are not required to warn an enemy general about the specifics of how he might get hurt in the war he is fighting.
“Booby-trap” means any device or material which is designed, constructed, or adapted
to kill or injure, and which functions unexpectedly when a person disturbs or approaches an
apparently harmless object or performs an apparently safe act.
Article 7
Prohibitions on the Use of booby-traps and other devices
1. Without prejudice to the rules of international applicable in armed conflict to treachery and perfidy, is prohibited in all Circumstances to use booby-traps and
devices which are any way attached to or associated with: […]
2. It is prohibited to use booby-traps or other devices in the form of apparently harmless
portable objects which are specifically designed and constructed contain explosive
material. .
3. Without prejudice to provisions of Article 3, it is prohibited to use weapons to
which this Article applies in any city, town, village or other area containing a similar
concentration of civilians in which combat between ground forces is not taking place or
not appear to be imminent, unless either:
(a) they are placed on or in the close vicinity of a military objective; or
(b) measures are taken to protect civilians from their effects, for example, the
posting of warning sentries, the of warnings or the provision of fences.
The Prohibition of specific booby traps such as medical devices explicitly notes that it does not limit the scope of treachery and perfidy. So it even links the use of booby traps to the categories of treachery and perfidy, because it is blatantly obvious to be exactly that.
The definition of booby-traps does not make any limit on how they are triggered.
means any device or material which is designed, constructed, or adapted
to kill or injure
clearly an exploding scooter is designed to do exactly that.
and which functions unexpectedly when a person disturbs or approaches an
apparently harmless object or performs an apparently safe act.
The key here is that the unexpectedly is from the perspective of the victim. This becomes clear as it relates to the victims approach to the object or interaction with it, which should not lead to the object exploding under normal circumstances. From the attackers perspective it is always expected to explode, be it by manual trigger or some sort of automation.
A scooter is not expected to explode as you pass by it. Also the remote detonation is irrelevant to the general prohibition of using them outside an area where fighting is ongoing or imminent.
Obviously the trap was detonated, when he was within the detonation range. So it functioned when he approached it. The definition does not say that it has to function triggered by his approach. The triggering is entirely irrelevant.
Under your interpretation, a soldier hiding in a bush with a grenade is a booby trap. There is no way you can seriously believe that that includes something manually triggered. The entire point of banning booby traps is that they are by their nature indiscriminate, which a monitored and manually triggered weapon obviously is not
A soldier hiding in a bush is a combatant. The grenade in his hand is a weapon. It is easily discernible as such both by other soldiers and by civilians. And both soldiers and civilians will expect a grenade to explode when it is thrown at them, or at least they understand the risk of a grenade potentially exploding, if it is laying around. So they expect it to be explosive.
Lets go through the definition word for word again:
“Booby-trap” means any device or material which is designed, constructed, or adapted to kill or injure, and which functions unexpectedly when a person disturbs or approaches an apparently harmless object or performs an apparently safe act.
any device
A soldier is not a device, a grenade is, a scooter is
or material
A soldier is not a material, a grenade is not a material, but made from some, same for a scooter
which is designed, constructed, or adapted
A soldier is not designed, a grenade is and this specific scooter was
to kill or injure
all three kill or injure
and which functions
all three function
unexpectedly
A soldier is expected to be a danger, so is a grenade, a scooter is not
the guy assassinated is a person. It does not say civilian or combatant. Any human being counts
disturbs or approaches
he moved into the explosion range, so he approached
an apparently harmless object
a soldier is not a harmless object. a grenade is not a harmless object. A scooter normally and by the expectation of normal circumstances is a harmless object
or performs an apparently safe act
this means an interaction with the device itself that should be safe. E.g. if you set fire to a gas bottle as a civilian you cannot expect it not to explode
Nowhere does it say that the device or material needs to have any sort of automation. Nowhere does it say, that a remote trigger is excepted. Nowhere does it say, that it must be targeting combatants or civilians, both go equally.
“clandestine” is an important category to understand what is considered treacherous. The geneva convention does not refer exclusively to inviting confidence of protection. It is just an explicit specification, like the examples given under a to d are examples, to have them already covered. That does not mean that they are exclusive.
For the fighting on the front line every soldier knows he is at risk. Also Private Ivan is not targeted as Private Ivan. If instead there was Private Alexej in his place, Alexej would be dead and Ivan life another day. The same applies when command centers are attacked. They are attacked as the command structure. And if General Mikhail is visiting that day and the attack is done specifically on that day because he is there it is legitimate as he knowingly went to a legitimate target. Same i would argue for the command center in Moscow, e.g. the distance to the front is not relevant.
But being blown up by a booby trapped civilian device in a civilian area seems quite treacherous. In particular as booby trapping civilian devices is also prohibited.
It does not refer to anything but that. If you think it does, quote it. Your personal feelings on whether or not it has perfidious vibes aren’t really enough here.
Russia thinks that the bomb was monitored and manually detonated, which would make it not a booby trap. As such it’s now just “combatant kills enemy combatant with a grenade from a hidden position, no civilian casualties”. The Ukrainians are not required to warn an enemy general about the specifics of how he might get hurt in the war he is fighting.
https://treaties.un.org/doc/Treaties/1996/05/19960503 01-38 AM/Ch_XXVI_02_bp.pdf
Definition:
The Prohibition of specific booby traps such as medical devices explicitly notes that it does not limit the scope of treachery and perfidy. So it even links the use of booby traps to the categories of treachery and perfidy, because it is blatantly obvious to be exactly that.
The definition of booby-traps does not make any limit on how they are triggered.
clearly an exploding scooter is designed to do exactly that.
The key here is that the unexpectedly is from the perspective of the victim. This becomes clear as it relates to the victims approach to the object or interaction with it, which should not lead to the object exploding under normal circumstances. From the attackers perspective it is always expected to explode, be it by manual trigger or some sort of automation.
A scooter is not expected to explode as you pass by it. Also the remote detonation is irrelevant to the general prohibition of using them outside an area where fighting is ongoing or imminent.
Neither approaching nor disturbing the scooter caused this bomb to function according to Russia. It does not meet this definition of a booby trap.
Obviously the trap was detonated, when he was within the detonation range. So it functioned when he approached it. The definition does not say that it has to function triggered by his approach. The triggering is entirely irrelevant.
Under your interpretation, a soldier hiding in a bush with a grenade is a booby trap. There is no way you can seriously believe that that includes something manually triggered. The entire point of banning booby traps is that they are by their nature indiscriminate, which a monitored and manually triggered weapon obviously is not
A soldier hiding in a bush is a combatant. The grenade in his hand is a weapon. It is easily discernible as such both by other soldiers and by civilians. And both soldiers and civilians will expect a grenade to explode when it is thrown at them, or at least they understand the risk of a grenade potentially exploding, if it is laying around. So they expect it to be explosive.
Lets go through the definition word for word again:
A soldier is not a device, a grenade is, a scooter is
A soldier is not a material, a grenade is not a material, but made from some, same for a scooter
A soldier is not designed, a grenade is and this specific scooter was
all three kill or injure
all three function
A soldier is expected to be a danger, so is a grenade, a scooter is not
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/when
at what time; at the time at which:
the guy assassinated is a person. It does not say civilian or combatant. Any human being counts
he moved into the explosion range, so he approached
a soldier is not a harmless object. a grenade is not a harmless object. A scooter normally and by the expectation of normal circumstances is a harmless object
this means an interaction with the device itself that should be safe. E.g. if you set fire to a gas bottle as a civilian you cannot expect it not to explode
Nowhere does it say that the device or material needs to have any sort of automation. Nowhere does it say, that a remote trigger is excepted. Nowhere does it say, that it must be targeting combatants or civilians, both go equally.
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